Without any formal training in music composition, Irving Berlin took a knack for music and turned it into the most successful songwriting career in American history. Berlin was the first Tin Pan Alley songwriter to go uptown to Broadway with a complete musical score (Watch Your Step in 1914); he is the only songwriter to build a theater exclusively for his own work (The Music Box); and his name appears above the title of his Broadway shows and Hollywood films (Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn), still a rare honor for songwriters. Berlin is also notable due to the length of his career in American Song; he sold his first song at the age of 18 and passed away at the age of 101 having outlived several of his own copyrights. Throughout his career, Berlin showed that a popular song need not be of a lesser quality than songs informed by the principles of "classical" music composition. Forty years after his last published song many of his songs remain popular and several have even entered folk song status, something no other 20th-century American songwriter can claim.
As one of the most seminal figures of the twentieth century, both in the world of music and in American culture more generally, and as one of the rare songwriters equally successful with popular songs, Broadway shows, and Hollywood scores, Irving Berlin is the subject of an enormous corpus of writing, scattered throughout countless publications and archives. A noted performer and interpreter of Berlin's works, Benjamin Sears has unprecedented familiarity with these sources and brings together in this Reader a broad range of the most insightful primary and secondary materials. Grouped together according to the chronology of Berlin's life and work, each section and article features a critical introduction to orient the reader and contextualize the materials within the framework of American musical history. Taken as a whole, the writings -- many by Berlin himself -- provide a new perspective on Berlin that highlights his musical genius in the context of his artistic development.
Anthony Nunziata has released his debut holiday collection Christmas & You on vinyl, CD, and digital and streaming platforms. The songs were all co-written by Nunziata and some of the top Country and pop hitmakers.
Center Stage Recrods has released Into the Sun: World Premiere Recording in streaming and digital formats. Into the Sun is the new musical drama that features book, music and lyrics by Michael Gubser.
BroadwayWorld has the exclusive first listen to “D.O.A.,” performed by Paisley Billings and company, from the upcoming The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording.
Ghostlight Records will release Deathless: Original Studio Cast Recording – new indie-folk musical by Zack Zadek – featuring Jeremy Jordan and more. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen to the track 'The License Plate Game'.
CENTER STAGE RECORDS will host a special online Listening Party for the new album The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording. The event will be hosted by Max Harwood and Samantha Mbolekwa, joined by their fellow original London cast members.
Known for his stage presence in Rock of Ages Hollywood alongside Frankie Grande and Nick Cordero, Broadway performer and recording artist Ian Ward steps into a new chapter with the release of his latest single, 'Ocean Eyes.' L
Stevie Holland has released the music video for “Talk to Your Tomatoes,” the tile track to her just-released new album. Written by Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman, the song and video are a swinging, zany, and veggie-gardening loving trip.
The Americas, the 10-part NBC series narrated by Tom Hanks, will arrive on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on November 18. The release also includes an exclusive bonus feature, taking viewers behind the scenes with an in-depth documentary.
Bloomsbury Methuen Drama published An Alchemy of Living Culture: Collected Writings on Double Edge Theatre, an anthology gathering decades of Stacy Klein's visionary reflections, interviews, speeches, and essays.
With the release of WE LIVE IN CAIRO (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording), The Lazours reflect on the show’s evolution, the collaboration behind the album’s sound, and how their upcoming musicals extend their artistic conversations.
Jackie Burns delivers “Shotgun,” the first single from the upcoming musical Hard Road to Heaven. Now streaming on all platforms, the track blends Broadway drama with an authentic country sound. Listen here!
Award-winning Broadway and jazz vocalist Darius de Haas has released his new holiday album Let Me Carry You This Christmas, now available digitally via Concord Theatricals Recordings.
The original off-Broadway cast recording of “Welcome to The Big Dipper,” staged by The York Theatre Company, is available now! Learn more and listen here!
STEVIE HOLLAND – the acclaimed jazz vocalist and songwriter – returns with her new album Talk to Your Tomatoes, which is currently available on CD and in digital and streaming platforms. Listen here!
CENTER STAGE RECORDS has released We Live in Cairo: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats now. Learn more and listen here!
The new album from Phillip Officer – who originated the role of the “Geek” in the Broadway’s Tony Award-nominated musical Side Show – is out tomorrow. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen to a track here!
Bronco Billy – The Musical, Recorded live in performance during its 2024 run at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, will release an album. BroadwayWorld has an exclusive listen to 'I’m Gonna Be Strong' here.
Amnon Kabatchnik has penned a new in his award-winning reference series. Kabatchnik's latest, Bloody Broadway: Plays of Menace, Murder, and Mystery, Volume I (BearManor Media) is now available.
CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats. Learn more about the recording here!
Joël René Scoville and Jenna Gillespie Byrd have released the concept album for their original musical 2&1: A Harlem Love Story with Loose Morals. Learn more!
CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release We Live in Cairo: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats this week. Learn more about the album here!
Apollo Publishers will release Making Rent: The Story Behind the Music that Changed Broadway in January. Learn more about the book, and about the author Tim Weil here!
Brainstorm Records has released the new single “I’ll Be Here” – featuring Broadway sensation Julie Benko – from The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul, the new musical by Christie Baugher. Listen here!
Producers Gary Grossman, Bronco Billy Partners, and Yellow Sound Label have announced the upcoming release of Bronco Billy – The Musical (Live Original London Cast Recording), captured during its acclaimed 2024 run at London’s Charing Cross Theatre.
With the holiday season just around the corner, BroadwayWorld caught up with Scott and Mark Hoying to discuss their new children's book Fa La La Family, its accompanying album, Dancing with the Stars, and more.
Pirates! The Penzance Musical Broadway cast album – starring Ramin Karimloo, Jinkx Monsoon and David Hyde Pierce – will be out in digital formats. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen of the opening number “My Brothers / Pour, Oh Pour.”
Author and gaming expert Barry Joseph uncovers a hidden side of Stephen Sondheim in Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend.
New editions of the forthcoming Wicked and Wicked: For Good soundtracks are now available for pre-order at Republic Records. They will be released on November 21, the same day Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters.